Fight or Flee
by PercyJacksonAlways
Summary: Percy and Leo were given a task to complete. Gain the trust of the Gladers, find a way out of the maze, and hopefully save an innocent life. But when the Creators discover the existence of the demigods, Greek monsters comes into play, adding on to the nightmare of the Grievers. How can two demigods hope to succeed in their task, when the Gladers start to get suspicious? Post BoO.
1. Chapter 1

**First time attempting this crossover, and so I'm unsure whether I will continue. It depends on the readers. I'll consider continuing if the general responses are good. If no one is going to read this, then there's no reason that I should continue it.**

**So yeah...it's on you :)**

Percy

The only preparation Percy had was the dream. That itself was an overstatement. He didn't even get to prepare before the gods zapped him to another time zone, at a completely different place. Just like that. No 'goodbye' or 'see you later' to Annabeth and his friends at Camp Half-Blood. All he got was about five minutes in a dream-like state, having a conversation with the gods up on Olympus.

Percy remembered what had happened during that discussion. He'd dreamt that he was standing in front of the twelve Olympians in the Throne Room.

Zeus had said, "Percy, the gods require your help, and one other demigod, to see to an important task."

"Great." Percy had replied sarcastically. He recalled the victory in defeating Gaia just two weeks ago. Now the gods wanted him to do something again. Whatever it was, it is never an easy task.

Zeus growled, "It is crucial that this task is carried out successfully, Perseus Jackson. Hades wanted me to tell you that you could save a young life."

"Who?" Percy asked curiously.

"You will know who in time to come. I can only tell you this much. Before I send you off, you must remember that the people there have no recollections of their past – that is, before they were put in the Glade."

"Glade? Wait, where's –" Percy was seriously confused. Zeus wasn't giving him any straight answers.

This time, he was cut off by Athena.

"Percy Jackson, where you are going, wisdom is the key to success, although the people there do not really value knowledge. When you leave, I will send a message to Chiron about your absence, so that your…" Athena paused, seemingly to find a suitable word, "…girlfriend…does not get too worried."

Percy nodded in appreciation. "And who is this other demigod who's going with me?"

"A son of mine." Hephaestus said proudly.

Percy tried to think of who this son of Hephaestus is. He didn't talk much with the kids in cabin nine. He only got to really know two sons of Hephaestus. One of which was Beckendorf, who was already dead. The other was Leo, who was…well, was assumed dead after taking a direct hit with an Octavian-loaded comet.

"Anyway," Zeus took charge again, "Hades said that this particular person you can save, his time is not up yet. So you have to gain their trust, and lead them out of the Glade. Can you manage that, child?"

Percy resisted the urge to roll his eyes. It wasn't like Zeus would give him an option.

So he said, "I guess."

"Good." Zeus said grumpily. "There's one more thing you should know. Your sword will work against anything during the quest. Now go."

Percy was about to ask how Zeus could transport his wispy dream-like state to wherever he needed to go, but Zeus flicked his wrist, and Percy awoke with a start, back in his cabin at Camp Half-Blood.

But just before he could step out of his bed, Percy felt his surroundings dissolve. The sea hue of the cabin walls blended around him. Then, it darkened, until it was so dark Percy couldn't see his hands. The calming smell of salty breeze was replaced by a chilly, stale air. The sound of crashing waves was substituted with a loud grinding noise, like metal against metal.

That was when the feeling of claustrophobia settled in. Percy felt like he was being caged in. The darkness only made it worse. He tried to keep calm. He'd been in worse situations before. Percy spread his arms on either side of him, trying to feel his surroundings. His outstretched finger came in contact with a cold wall. Metal. It confirmed his suspicions. He was stuck in a metal box.

"Gods! I am the Supreme Commander of the Argo II! How dare you lock the captain here?" a familiar voice shouted.

Percy could barely hear it above the noise. But it sent his brain into fuzzy state. It wasn't possible. He'd seen Festus and Leo blasted out of the sky on that fateful day. That impact would've killed anyone. So how could…

"Leo?" Percy called tentatively.

But obviously, the grinding noise swept his words away easily.

He tried again, this time yelling, "Leo! Is that you?!"

For about five seconds, there was no reply.

Then, it came. "Percy?"

Percy could feel himself being pushed towards the floor, as though the box he was trapped in was speeding upwards.

"Yeah, it's me! Gods, you're alive! Why didn't you come back to camp? We all thought you were dead!" Percy screamed back. For a moment, Percy forgot about the claustrophobic feeling. He felt elated, and reassured, that Leo was alive all along.

But that good feeling didn't last. He groaning sound of scraping metal reduced by a notch.

"Leo, where are we?"

Leo replied quickly, "I'd say we're in an elevator. I can hear the hum of the pulleys at the top, and the vibration on the metal cage we're in. We're reaching…wherever there is."

Of course. The son of Hephaestus had a natural talent at mechanics. And even though Percy didn't really understand what Leo was saying, he trusted his friend. After months of being around Leo on the quest, Percy didn't doubt Leo when it came to the technical stuff. Although on the occasions when Leo made a mistake, it would usually be disastrous. Still, Percy trusted Leo more than himself, when it came to the tinkering.

Percy could feel the elevator slowing down. The scraping sound wasn't as loud as a minute ago.

Without warning, there was a loud 'clang', a huge jerk which caused Percy to lose his balance and fall on top of Leo, followed by total silence.

"Ow, dude." Leo said, trying to push Percy off him.

Percy felt his way into a sitting position. He heard Leo shifting his body.

A grinding noise was heard from above his head, and Percy looked up just as the top of the metal cage was being opened.

The bright sunlight seared into his eyes, forcing Percy to look away and shield his eyes with one hand. His right hand instinctively crept into his jeans pocket, gripping the familiar ballpoint pen.

Percy looked around the metal box he was in. Now, he could see that there was a small pile of clothes, food, barrels of water and other daily necessities stacked neatly in a corner.

"What's up, Greenie?" A scratchy voice said. "Found yourself – oh, what is this supposed to mean?"

The two demigods stood up at the same time, craning their necks to look upwards. The metallic box they were trapped in was deep, so they could only see a rectangular patch of sky.

But seconds later, many heads popped out from the top of the box, into his line of vision.

"Two newbies?" One boy said.

"Is that boy wearing a toolbelt?" Another asked.

"Throw down the bloody rope, people." A boy with longish blonde hair said.

The ends of two ropes were thrown down into the metallic box. Leo glanced at him, waiting for Percy to make the first move. Percy nodded and grasped the rope, pulling himself up.

"Pull them out!" A dark skinned boy ordered.

Although Percy could climb up very well on his own, the boys speeded up the process by hauling up the rope.

In a matter of seconds, both Percy and Leo were out of the cage. A ring of boys, all in their teenage years, stood around the demigods. Percy's eyes tried to take in all his surroundings at once.

There was a patch of trees in one corner, a line of huts and sheds, a small plantation, and even a farm. But beyond that, were high, metal walls. Four of them, forming a square area. A long corridor led outwards from the center of each wall.

"Welcome to the Glade." The same dark skinned boy said.

The Glade. Yes, that was what Zeus had mentioned earlier. What else had Zeus said? Percy tried to rack his brains.

"What…no. _Where _am I? Why am I here?" Percy blurted out.

"Take it slow. I'm Alby. What's your name?" The boy replied.

"Percy." Percy introduced himself, then pointed at Leo, "And that is –"

"Bad Boy Leo!" Leo cut in.

"Rather cheerful for a greenbean huh, Alby?" The blonde haired by said, motioning for the other boys to move away. "I'm Newt."

Alby just replied, "I suppose that's better than being curious like Thomas."

"Who's Thomas?" Percy asked.

"He's the shank before you two." Alby said. "But the important thing is that we need to know why two of you were sent together. That ain't happened before. Can you remember anything?"

Percy was puzzled. Why wouldn't he be able to remember anything? Unless Hera had one of her plans again.

"Uh…" Percy tried to think of a reason as to why he was here.

"It's alright. You aren't the only one. Nobody here really remembers their past. Not unless… nevermind. But while you're here, you have two rules. No going out past the doors of the Glade, and do your part in whatever job you're given." Alby said.

No one remembers anything? Then it hit him. That was the other thing Zeus had said. Their memories had been wiped out. Except for Percy's and Leo's. They had to be careful about what they said, otherwise things would seem suspicious.

This task Zeus had given them was far more tedious than he'd expected. They had to act like the other Gladers. Moreover, they had to lead the others out of this place without disobeying Alby's rule to never leave the Glade. Simple, right?

**Please review. Constructive criticism is welcome. If enough people wants me to continue, I will. Really, there's no saying now if I will post chapter 2. Thank you!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Eeeep! That's a huge bunch of followers guys! Waaaay more than what I expected anyway. How could I not put up the next chapter? So here it is, and I'll answer some of the questions you asked in the reviews. Yes, Minho and Teresa will be in this crossover. For those who asked if Chuck is going to be the one being saved, please PM me if you really want to know, so that I won't spoil it for the rest.**

**Once again, BIG THANK YOU for those who supported! Enjoy!**

Thomas

After living a month in the Glade, Thomas started to get used to the work-life in there. Newt told him that he worked best with the other Track-hoes, and said he was suited for the job. So, day after day, he worked in the Gardens, plucking weeds, harvesting, and planting. Even he himself had to agree that he preferred this job to a lot of other work in the Glade. There was only one exception, and he'd tried to explain it to Newt, and Alby, but both of them refused to listen to him. They'd turn down his request, saying that he was still a Green Bean, and that job he wanted was too dangerous.

Being a runner? Yes, it could be potentially dangerous. But Thomas couldn't stand being kept in the dark about what was outside the walls of the Glade. He'd heard stories from Chuck and the other boys on what was inside the maze. He'd heard of the Grievers and what they could do to people if they so much as got pricked by the needle-covered metallic legs.

The stories were scary, but Thomas still wanted to explore the maze with his own eyes. There was surely a way out, and the other runners might be looking in the wrong direction.

He'd have talked to the leader of the runners, Minho, except that the runners were always out from the minute the four gates were open. They only came back before dark, and even then, kept to themselves, or were busy discussing in a private shed. So for once, Thomas had ran out of ideas on how to convince the Runnners, Newt, and Alby on why he was more capable on finding a way out compared to any of them.

But today was not like any other day. Today marked his one month anniversary in the Glade. In less than a couple of minutes, another clueless boy would be deposited in the Glade. Thomas wouldn't be the new greanbean anymore. Although, to tell the truth, that wasn't the main reason why he especially looked forward to seeing the new kid. The thing was, everyone who'd been stung by the Grievers all said mentioned that they had seen Thomas before. So he was itching to see their reaction to the new boy, whether any of the Gladers would recognize him.

As if on cue, a loud grinding sound was heard throughout the Glade. The ground vibrated gently, and the other shanks looked up from their work. The Glader's slang still felt new to his tongue, but he was slowly getting used to it.

Almost everyone ran to the elevator which brought food, supplies, and the occasional monthly boy, all waiting to catch a first glance at the newbie. Thomas, however, stayed put. With everyone crowding around the elevator, he knew it was useless to talk to the new kid on his own. He decided to catch up with the boy later, and ask questions then.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as well as Thomas thought they would. Within five minutes of the new kid's arrival, there was intense mumbling from the boys. Then, Chuck came running up to him.

"Chuck! What are they talking about? Is something wrong?" Thomas asked urgently.

"Two of them!" Chuck panted. "Two greenies at once in the elevator!"

"What did Newt and Alby say? How did they react?" Thomas was trying to pull as much information as he could.

Chuck shook his head. "Alby was stunned, he was obviously suspicious of them, but he kept his cool and welcomed them as usual."

Thomas couldn't think of a reason why there could be two new boys sent into the Glade. There had always only been one newbie every month. Not _two_.

"The newbies." Thomas said. "What are their names?"

Chuck frowned, trying to remember.

"The boy wearing a toolbelt…Leo!" Chuck recalled. "He didn't seem scared of this new place. He was sort of fooling around."

_Well_, Thomas thought. _That was new. Alby had mentioned that almost everyone had panicked when they found themselves in the Glade._

"What about the other boy? You said there were two?"

Scratching his head, Chuck went silent for a while. "P…Per…Percy? Yeah, I remember now. Percy. That greenie was wondering why we would ever forget our names. As if he didn't have any memories removed."

Thomas made a mental list of what Chuck told him. He was going to ask them about this when he spotted them later. Percy and Leo…hmm….Thomas wondered if they even knew each other, seeing that they were sent in together.

Across the plains, Thomas could make up four figures walking towards the east gates. The two in front were definitely Alby and Newt. He could see Alby pointing out different parts of the Glade to the new boys. The two behind, Thomas assumed, was Percy and Leo. From this distance, the taller boy matched Alby's height, while the other was scrawny looking.

The other Gladers had gone back to carrying out their daily activities, and Thomas thought that now was the right time to get to know the newbies. There was always a chance that they knew something, and Thomas would be glad for any piece of information he could get.

"I'm gonna talk to them." Thomas said. "See if they remember anything."

Chuck shrugged. "Doubt so. But I'll follow if you're going."

With that, Thomas sprinted off towards the east gates, Chuck following at a distance.

About five meters away from the group of four, the scrawny boy wearing a toolbelt – Leo, spun around.

"Oh hey guys! You two on Team Leo too?"

Thomas gaped, at a loss of what to say. "What?" he asked.

Leo's hands were fiddling with some nuts and bolts, constantly moving. Every few seconds, he would take a piece of scrap metal out of his toolbelt, and add it to whatever he was making.

"Well basically," Leo said, rolling his eyes, "I thought the maze contained lots of machines and humming noises which were really interesting. I told Alby and Newt that I wanted to check it out, _but_…. Obviously they wouldn't let me. So what do you say? Are you on Team Leo?"

Before Thomas could say anything, Alby cut in. "No. I've told you a million times, only the Runners are allowed to go into the maze. The rest of you are to stay put within the boundaries of these walls. Got it?"

It wasn't a question. More like an order. Alby, being the oldest in the Glade, was the leader. No one was supposed to defy him.

Leo waved away Alby's words. "Oh, whatever." He said, turning to the tall, raven haired boy. "You with me, Percy?"

Percy grinned, his sea green eyes shined for a moment. "Team Leo? Never, Valdez. But if you want to explore the maze, I might just have to agree with you."

Leo punched his hand into the air. "Knew it!"

Thomas frowned. Both Percy and Leo were close to each other. The way they talked and joked around showed some unexplainable connection between them. Yet that could not be possible. Even if they'd seen each other before being sent in here, the Creators would have been sure to wipe out their memories.

Newt intervened before matters could get out of hand. "No! What is bloody wrong with the pair of you shanks? You listen to Alby and me! We are the leaders in the Glade, and none of you are allowed to go pass the walls. Get those words into your thick skulls and don't cause trouble, understood?"

Percy looked surprised at his order. It was almost as though he'd never really taken orders from others before. With dawning realization, Thomas noticed that Percy looked like a leader. Maybe it was his confident posture, but otherwise, he possessed the look of a natural leader. Percy, however, bit his tongue and kept his trap shut.

"Okay." He replied half-heartedly.

Immediately, Thomas knew that Percy wasn't going to keep his word. A mischievous glint in Percy's eyes told Thomas that somehow, that kid was going to sneak his way out into the maze. Leo must have noticed Percy's tone because the scrawny boy was trying to hide a smile.

To Thomas, this was a good sign. If he was lucky, he now had two more people who were on his side, desperately wanting to seek answers in the maze. If he knew Percy and Leo better, they could be a team, finding clues and answers by themselves.

Newt scrutinized the new boys, as though daring them to do otherwise. Having nothing else to say, Newt turned to Thomas and Chuck.

"Show the two greenies where to sleep. They're gonna need it."

Alby and Newt walked away, leaving the four boys alone on the grassy patch.

Leo scanned the Glade like he was looking for someone in particular.

"Gods, are there no females in here? Because this would totally suck." Leo said disappointedly.

"Leo! Don't you already have a girlfri- " Percy stopped suddenly.

Apparently, that wasn't the best thing for Percy to say, because Leo's face turned a shade darker. Some vent-up anger filled the boy's eyes too.

But Leo's voice was rather controlled when he replied. "You mean _after_ you left her marooned on that island, and forgot about her."

Thomas wondered what was happening. Could they actually remember all of their life before this?

Percy looked genuinely remorseful. "Look. Leo. I don't know how else I can say this, but I seriously thought Ze – my uncle – would keep to his promise. I've realized my mistake, down in Tar – hell – when Annabeth was attacked by Ara – curses."

Percy spared Thomas a glance, like he wished Thomas wasn't overhearing him, before looking back at Leo. "Can we talk about this another time? Just forgive me for what I did the last time, okay?"

Leo only gave an incomprehensible shrug, but agreed. "We'll settle this later."

The air was tense, so Thomas decided to break the awkward silence.

"Why were the both of you so eager to go into the maze even though Alby and Newt had warned you what to expect inside?"

Leo replied first. "The maze…it seems like a place I should be in. The mechanics…gears…feels so…_alive_. You know what I mean?"

What had been an invisible wall of tension between Leo and Percy seemed to have melted.

"Of course he doesn't know what you mean. I don't even get half of your mechanical thoughts!" Percy exclaimed.

Leo snorted. "You might, if you didn't spend all your free time thinking about the fishes and underwater stuff."

"I don't always think of the sea creatures!"

"Says Captain Salt Water." Leo wriggled his eyebrows, miming air quotes.

"Repair Boy!"

"Aquaman!"

"Oh, shut up!" Percy threw up his hands in defeat.

Thomas kept silent. This was strange. Not only did Percy and Leo know each other, they were close friends. This wasn't possible. The Creators always wiped past memories, so how could they have missed this time, not to mention also sending two boys instead of one?

Only time would tell, and Thomas was determined to solve this mystery.

**Please review, because I want to know if you think Percy and Leo were OOC, and if the story is okay so far. Just say something? Thank you!**

**On a side note, my main focus is my PJO/HP crossover. But I'll update this every now and then. After that story is done, I can concentrate more on this one.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello! I'm officially back on this story, since I've completed my other PJO/HP crossover. There's an A/N below, and I hope you can spare some time to read it later.**

**But for now, enjoy!**

Percy

When Leo had declared the maze '_interesting_', Percy was sure that there were plenty of complicated mechanics behind it. If Leo hadn't learnt to control his fire powers, the son of Hephaestus would have spontaneously combusted on the spot.

Even though he didn't understand a fraction of what Leo did, Percy knew the maze was the answer. It was just a feeling. He wanted to go outside the doors of the Glade to explore, and see for himself what was out there.

And that was exactly what Percy would have done, except there was a rule. Alby and Newt, the two longest leaders, had ordered them not go past the metal doors. If Percy had been waiting for some sort of explanation, he was thoroughly disappointed. Alby just said that it was dangerous, and only Runners were allowed in the maze. To make matters more confusing than it already was, Percy had no idea what a Runner was.

"You seem to know each other." Thomas said, pulling Percy out of his thoughts.

It wasn't a question. It was a statement. However, not answering would mean that he agreed to the statement. Silence means consent. Remembering that the boys here had no memories, agreeing would be suicide.

"Well, why should we not know each other?" Percy replied, "We got stuck in the elevator together. That sure brings us closer."

Not the most convincing answer. But what else could he say?

Obviously, Thomas wasn't satisfied.

"You know each other before being sent here, don't you?" Thomas urged. "You know something we don't?"

Percy sighed. "How is that possible, dude? Didn't all of us come up from the same elevator?"

Percy could tell that Thomas didn't buy it. Maybe he knew that this discussion wasn't going anywhere, so he dropped the subject.

Apparently, Chuck, the plump boy who'd been walking some distance in front had overheard their conversation. He stopped in his tracks, and looked back at the three of them.

"From what I heard, you two shanks are very different from the others." Chuck said, as he opened a wooden door to the interior of a sturdy looking hut.

As Percy's eyes adjusted to the dimly lit room, he could make out flimsy looking hammocks hanging from wooded poles. The four of them were the only ones in the hut.

"Different?" Percy prompted. "How are we different?"

Chuck sat on one of the hammocks. Surprisingly, the hammock was fairly strong, and it held.

"Alby said that usually the greenbean would panic and cry. They'll be hysterical because their memories are gone." Chuck said, pointing and Percy and Leo, "But the two of you, were unusually calm. You accepted it quickly."

Leo pulled a few metal bits out of his pocket, and started fiddling with them. He looked up from his metallic project, and asked, "That's good, right?"

Even in the dim light, Percy caught Thomas and Chuck giving a quick glance at each other.

After a while of silence, Thomas replied, "Not necessarily. Everything in the Glade only functions well if there is order and trust amongst the Gladers. If there is suspicion on one of us shanks, there is a chance that that person will be banished. It's for the safety of the rest of us."

Leo swallowed. "Banished where?"

"Into the maze." Thomas said. "It's as good as dead. No one has ever spent a night out there in the maze and came back."

"But maybe that's the only way out? We've got to look for some sort of exit." Percy said, pacing around the cluttered hut.

"Can't." Chuck said sadly. "Only Runners are allowed in there. For three years, Minho and his team has been exploring the maze daily, but he hasn't found a way out."

Silence lingered at his words. Percy snuck a glance at Leo, and found the son of Hephaestus staring unfocused at a spot on the ground. This was definitely not usual for a severely ADHD demigod like Leo. If Leo wasn't fidgeting with pieces of metal and screws, he was joking. If he wasn't joking, Leo would be eating. If he wasn't eating, he would be talking to Festus. Sitting quietly was just not something Leo was capable of.

Feigning wariness, Percy pretended to yawn and stretch. He slid into a hammock that Chuck had assigned to him.

Just as Percy hoped, Chuck got to his feet. "Well, since this is your first day, I suppose you're tired. We'll leave you shanks to rest. If you need anything just come and find Thomas or me or anyone."

Then both Thomas and Chuck made their way to the door. As Chuck followed Thomas out, he turned around, and added, "Try to get some sleep. You look like klunk."

The moment Chuck shut the door of the hut, Percy sat up, looking at Leo. Percy had thought it through. He wasn't about to spend the rest of his life stuck in a stupid squarish box when there is a chance of getting out through the maze. The only thing holding him back was the unknown waiting for him within the maze.

"We've got to go out into the maze. No matter what the others have said about the maze. We can't be sitting in here doing nothing." Percy said.

Leo looked up from the floor and turned to Percy. "I know. The maze feels like one big machine that I have to check it out. But…"

"But?"

"But we don't know what to expect in the maze. Thomas, Alby and Newt all said it was very dangerous and no one ever spent a night inside alive."

"I thought it was your idea at first to explore the maze?"

Leo hesitated before replying, "That was earlier. But after hearing what Chuck and Thomas said…and that Minho and his Runners have been working at cracking the maze for three _years_…" He trailed off.

"You're forgetting something." Percy said, attempting to persuade Leo to go with him.

Leo looked back at him. "Hmm?"

Percy shrugged his shoulders. "They're mortals. What they consider to be dangerous cannot be said the same to us. We're demigods. We've fought through two wars and lived. This maze can't be that bad."

Leo raised his eyebrows in amusement. "One war actually, for me. Not to mention in that one war I died."

"And came back." Percy added quickly. "I need your help, Leo. I can't go into the maze alone. You're a mechanic, you're good at these stuff."

Leo sighed, looking doubtful. "What if we get lost? The maze can be hard to navigate."

"Then we'll be careful. Trust me Leo."

Their eyes met. Percy's sea green against Leo's brown ones. For a moment, they held their gazes.

"Fine. But if I die, I'm blaming you."

-Line Break-

After a brief discussion with Leo in the privacy of the hut, the two demigods agreed that they would first try to pry out more information about the dangers of the maze from Thomas. At least then they would know what to expect when they are in there.

So in the evening, they left the hut in search of Thomas, only to find out that all the other Gladers were gathered on benches eating dinner. As they soon found out, the boy cooking introduced himself as Frypan, and he passed them a plate of food. Spotting Thomas and Chuck sitting on a bench on the far side, Percy hastily made his way over to them.

"Hi. Mind if we share the table?" Percy said, acknowledging them to his presence.

"Yeah. Sure." Thomas replied, keeping his eyes on the food.

Leo came over a few minutes later carrying his plate of dinner and a cup of water.

Feeling like this was the right time to spring a question on them, Percy broke the silence.

"Hey guys. Can I ask you something?"

Thomas took his time to chew his food before looking up at Percy, waiting for him to say more.

Percy took a deep breath and hurried on. "I just wanted to know what is in the maze. You guys make it sound really creepy in there."

To his surprise, Thomas gave him a straight answer. "Grievers. That's what's in there. They come out at night. That's why the doors close in the evening to keep us safe in here."

"Grievers?" Leo asked.

"Yeah. They are really dangerous. Those few who have seen them and lived to tell the tale have said that they are huge metallic creatures. These Grievers are covered in long needles on every inch of their bodies. Once you get pricked by a single spike, you're as good as dead." Chuck explained.

Percy and Leo glanced at each other at the same time before turning back to the conversation.

"And the Runners still go out in the maze even when there are Grievers around?" Percy probed.

"No. The Runners only go out in the morning, when the Grievers are gone. They come back just before the doors close again for the night. It's risky, but they are our only hope to get out."

"So no one has ever looked around the maze at night?"

"Yep. No one. Actually it's more accurate to say that no one has ever looked around the maze at night and lived to tell the rest of us in the morning."

There was silence, and the four of them went back to eating.

"What if the way out is only shown at night?" Percy asked tentatively, trying to sound uninterested.

Thomas suddenly looked up. "That's exactly what I asked Alby and Newt. But they didn't allow anyone out at night."

Percy kept his voice level and his eyes on his fork as he said, "What if we didn't ask for their permission? What if we just sneak out at night and check out the maze?"

Strangely, Percy had expected Thomas and Chuck to shout him down at once. But all Thomas did was to reply simply, "You'll be banished."

But Percy knew that if he managed to live through the night, unscathed, the other Gladers would be dying to know what he'd seen. They cannot and will not banish him.

There was danger to it, all right. However, danger wasn't something new to demigods. Besides, if they were right, and they managed to find a way out, the quest would be over in no time. They would be transported safely back to Camp, and everything would be as normal as it could be for a demigod.

What Percy didn't think about was: No quest given to demigods could be _that_ easy. Nasty things were _bound_ to happen, sooner or later.

**Good? Bad? Please review!**

**A/N: Lately, I've been thinking of doing a Hunger Games/Lord of the Rings crossover (after this story, of course. So no worries). And I need your opinion on whether I should do it. Here's a very rough plot:**

_**When the One Ring was destroyed, the impact of the blast, and the last burst of Sauron's power landed Aragorn (or Estel, or any of the fifty other names he's got) and Legolas in the future, to the reaping of the 74th Annual Hunger Games. They realise the importance of Katniss and Peeta, and try to help them win. They know that each step they take to help Katniss and Peeta, they take a step back from getting out alive. LOTR timeline: Set just after the Battle of the Black Gate, before the crowning of King Aragorn II Elessar.**_

**I'm kinda sitting on the fence, not sure whether to do it, or not. ****Will you read it? Do you think I am up for that challenge? Because I'm debating with myself whether I'm good enough to pull that one off. S****o...um...what say you? You guys think I can manage, or scrap the plan? Please tell me what you think in the reviews! Thank you loads!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I know, it's been ages. I don't even have an excuse. But I received this PM from ****_IDaughter of PoseidonI_ ****telling me to update and continue. Then I remembered a few others****PMing me long ago to update. So, guess what? I reread my previous chapters and actually wrote a new chapter :)**

**Enjoy!**

Thomas

Thomas could feel some sort of non-verbal communication going on between Percy and Leo. It wasn't easy to explain, but he could feel it in the air.

He looked back down at his emptying plate. The food in the Glade was decent. The Creators had provided them with all the basic necessities since day one. Yet he still found it hard to believe that the Gladers were actually satisfied and happy with their day-to-day routine, carrying out their jobs, having their meal, watching the doors to the maze close, and turning in for the night. The first few shanks had been stuck in here for _three years_, and still had no urge of going into the maze.

Sighing, Thomas spooned the remainder of his food into his mouth and washed his plate before handing it over to Frypan. He was exhausted, confused, and terrified even, from this afternoon's events.

What the heck did Ben mean what he said he recognized him?

Just this afternoon, after leaving Percy and Leo to themselves, Thomas had gone back to get some fertilizer for newt. He'd trekked into the forest liked he'd done many times before. All was well until a Runner he identified as Ben had leapt onto him. The boy clawed at him, all while yelling 'I saw you!'.

Thomas could not have replied. First of all, he didn't have the slightest idea what Ben meant by that. And secondly, he was mainly focused on trying to get away from him. Thomas had half ran, half stumbled out of the forest, and finally bumped into the other Gladers who hastened to restrain Ben.

When Thomas had asked Alby what Ben had meant when he said 'I saw you'. Alby was silent for a while. Then after what seemed like hours, Alby briefly explained that Ben had been stung by a Griever – somehow in broad daylight – and had a 'hallucination' about him.

And then just before dinner, minutes before Percy and Leo had emerged from the hut, Ben had been banished. His name was scratched out of the wall, to be forgotten like any other dead Glader.

Thomas was so deep in thought that he was surprised to find himself standing at the door to the hut where the Gladers usually slept. He was only brought back to the present when he heard muffled voices inside.

His hand froze, an inch from pushing open the door. Thomas crept forward, pressing his ear close to the door.

"…has never happened before!" A scratchy voice Thomas knew to be Gally's said.

"Exactly. Grievers only come out at night." Minho agreed. "I've been running in the maze for years and I've not seen a Griever out at noon before."

"I must say it isn't normal that we've got two shanks – Percy and Leo – coming in today. And they don't react in the same way new Greenies do." Newt added.

A pause.

Thomas shifted his positon to get ready to hide, just in case the discussion was over. They would not take it too kindly if they found out he was spying on them.

But a slightly louder and rougher voice told him that the discussion was still on.

"Alright. It seems like there is something up this time. I want to go into the maze to see if there's anything up." It was definitely Alby.

"Well if that's the case, I'll bring you tomorrow." Minho said. "The minute the doors are open, we'll leave. That would give us enough time to explore before sundown."

"It's settled, then." Gally said. "Meanwhile, we should keep an eye on the two Greenies. I say if there is anything _abnormal_ happening around here, it's them."

Thomas had barely a seconds warning to throw himself behind a dense clutter of bushes when he heard approaching footsteps.

Mere seconds later, Gally pushed open the door and peeked his head out. Then seeing that there was no one outside, Gally turned back to Alby, Newt, and Minho who stood at the far end of the room.

"No one around. All the shanks are clearing off their food. But it's best we break up this meeting now."

Thomas made sure he was completely hidden in the bush as all the four occupants in the hut strolled out, walking back towards the center of the Glade.

Thomas remained crouching behind the bush. He had been right. There was something strange about Percy and Leo. And he certainly was not the only Glader to think so. Alby, Newt, Gally, and even Minho agreed that something was off.

If Thomas looked into the details, he could see that indeed the 'strangeness' was quite obvious. Percy and Leo knew each other. They had miraculously managed to keep their memories. It was something that the Creators had never allowed. And on that very same day that the two Greenies were brought up, the Grievers had come out in daylight and attacked one of the Runners.

Coincidence? Thomas seriously doubted that.

But there was nothing Thomas could do right now. Perhaps tomorrow, when Alby and Minho returned from the maze, they might bring some interesting news.

* * *

><p>Thomas bent down, sweat dripping down his chin. His shirt was soaked with perspiration from spending most of the morning and afternoon pulling out resilient weeds that kept insisting on growing on the fertile soil.<p>

Earlier this morning, he'd seen Alby and Minho gathering their packs and taking off into the maze as soon as the doors grinded open.

It had been more than six hours, and they had not returned. That was not unusual though, since most runner only returned just before the doors were closed shut for the night. So he pulled his eyes away from the doors and watched as Newt led Percy and Leo towards him.

"And here are the Track-hoes." Newt explained. "We do the harvesting, planting, tilling, weeding. All that sort of stuff."

"Okay…" Percy said. "But I don't think this is my kind of job."

"Yeah. It's cool and all, but farming isn't exactly my kind of thing either." Leo agreed.

Newt just shrugged. "Sure. The first week is usually to test which job you are best at. And after that, that job becomes permanent. It usually takes some getting used to."

Thomas realized his attention had suddenly turned to Leo. The boy was no longer fidgeting with random tools. He was now standing stock still, as if he was hearing something.

Percy seemed to have noticed too, because he spun around to face his friend.

"Leo, what's wrong?"

There was no reply. Leo swayed a little on his feet.

"Leo!" Percy shouted urgently, trying to shock him out of his reverie.

Leo jerked suddenly, like he had just awoken from a dream.

"Woah guys, I didn't mean to startle you. But where are the Runners?" Leo asked quickly.

Newt frowned at the boy. "The Runners didn't go into the maze today. Only Alby and Minho went. Alby wanted to check something out himself."

"And they are still in the maze?" Leo persisted.

"They should be back soon." Newt said. "Why?"

"Maybe you should send some Runners in to search for them."

"No. That is too dangerous. It's almost dark. But why are you suddenly asking, Leo?"

Leo looked flustered. "I don't think you'll believe me but…" he looked directly at Percy, "I can feel that the maze is more…_active_…today. Something could be wrong."

Newt was expressionless. He stared at the two metallic doors nearest to him. "Minho has memorized every bit of this maze. They will make it back."

But Percy was not convinced. "But what if those…those Grievers had done something to them?"

Newt, however, was reluctant to believe it. He made it clear that their conversation was over. Crossing his arms, he repeated, "They will come back."

Then he strode away from them.

The moment Newt was out of earshot, Leo lowered his voice and said to Percy. "There is something wrong. In the afternoon, I normally can hear the dull humming of the maze. Last night, I heard another _being_. I could hear the whirling sound of an automaton. I assumed that was the Grievers that came out at night. But just a few moments ago, I heard it again. I don't think that was supposed to happen."

Apparently, Percy believed what Leo had said, because he nodded his head. But he only replied, "You heard Alby and Newt. We aren't allowed to go out."

"What if something bad has really happened to them, and they can't make it back?" Leo asked, searching Percy's eyes for an answer.

Percy glanced at Thomas, before gazing back at Leo. There was a glint of determination in his eyes that Thomas had never seen before.

Percy spoke in a low voice, but that did not mar the effect of his words. "If they don't make it back when the doors are closing, I'll run out there before the gate closes and find them myself."

**A little short for a chapter. But I need to get the ball rolling again. Expect the next chapter in no more than 2 weeks :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Whoots! My chapter is up on time!**

**On a side note (you could call it an advert), I just published a simple Lord of the Rings oneshot featuring Aragorn and Legolas. It'll be cool if you could just zip there to check it out :)**

**Anyway, enough of that, enjoy!**

Percy

The cloudless sky was darkening fast. The shadows were growing steadily longer. Both Alby and Minho should have been back long ago. Time was running out, and very soon, the doors to the Glade would be sealed, keeping the horrors of the night at bay.

At this time, the Gladers would normally be chatting over dinner and talking with their friends. But today, there was an unsettling hush among them.

Every single Glader – about twenty plus so of them – stood around the four doors to the glade, peering into the gloom of the maze. Percy, Leo, Thomas, and a few other Gladers stood at the North doors, their eyes raking the dark for any sign of their friends.

In minutes, the doors would close, and if Minho and Alby didn't make it back…

Leo looked sick. "They won't be able to make it in time."

As if on cue, the metallic doors growled. Their gears could be heard, straining to budge the doors to close. There was a loud scraping sound as the doors obeyed, and inch by inch, the doors started to close.

And then, from a crossroads in the maze, two boys stumbled out. Percy's heart nearly dropped out when he saw an exhausted Minho supporting an unconscious Alby. Minho looked up and saw the closing doors, giving him a surge of renewed energy to tug at Alby.

"Come on, Minho! You can make it!" The Gladers shouted and screamed.

Percy felt his heart race. Alby looked heavy, and Minho must have been carrying him for gods knows how long. With that load he was carrying, they would not make it. Runner or not, Minho was still a human. They were too far away. The doors were closing fast.

Thomas must have come to the same conclusion, and Percy could see his muscles tense up and he sprang forward, running into the maze.

"No! Thomas!" Newt yelled. "Thomas!"

It was now or never. Zeus sent him down here to save an innocent life. Who exactly it was, Percy did not know. But if Alby, Minho, and now Thomas were to spend the night out in the Maze, their chances would be slim. If Percy followed them into the maze, there was a chance he could help them, somehow. And with that thought clear in mind, Percy dashed into the maze after Thomas.

The maze was almost shut now, and the feeling of claustrophobia threated to crush him. Percy forced himself to concentrate on running. The sounds of cries and shouts from the other Gladers were blurred out.

Maybe he could pick out one or two voices calling him. Leo's and Newt's, their voices mingling in each other's, screaming his name.

But it was too late. Percy would not turn back. He could not turn back.

And after what seemed like eternity, Percy stumbled past the closing doors and into the maze. Just as he turned back, he could hear the deafening clang as the doors slammed shut.

The only thing Percy could hear now was his breathing, Minho's panting, the labored breath of Alby, and pacing footsteps from Thomas. On top of it all, was the whistling sound of gentle, yet eerie wind whispering in the gloom.

Minho was kneeling over on the floor, catching his breath. "What did you shanks do that for? Now we're all shucked."

"What?" Percy said.

"No one ever lives through a night in the maze." Minho said, "You got a death wish?"

Percy didn't reply.

Thomas spared him from answering by saying, "Come on. Let's get Alby somewhere safe."

"Safe?" Minho repeated. "We're all dead already."

But he got up and draped one of Alby's arm around his shoulders, while Thomas took the other side. And with Alby hoisted up in-between them, they started walking towards the left fork.

Percy decided that he should look ahead of them, so that in the event that a Griever was nearby, he could at least warn them first.

"Which way, Minho?"

Minho looked up.

"Left." He said without hesitation.

Percy kept his hand in his pocket, feeling the reassuring grip of Riptide in his fingers. The he took the left turn.

All clear. There was no one else but them.

"We should get Alby up there with some of the stronger vines." Thomas pointed to a thick patch of dangling plants against the wall.

Minho shook his head. "This won't change anything. The Grievers will get us sooner or later."

Thomas didn't bother to listen, he was already looping the longer and thicker vines around Alby's torso and arms, and knotting them together. Percy went over to help him.

When Alby was safely secure, Percy tugged at the rope-like vine with all his strength, and Alby was pulled up just a little. Thomas chipped in, and the two of them managed to get Alby a little higher. Not high enough yet for safety though.

"Minho. Please." Percy said.

A tingling sound could be heard nearby. But nothing could be seen yet. Minho looked as though he wanted to sprint away in the opposite direction, and for a moment, Percy thought that he would.

Yet Minho sighed and grabbed at the vine. The strength of three boys was enough to lift Alby high against the wall of the maze.

"Right. Now, we'll just have to tie the knot." Thomas said.

The tingling sound was much closer now. It sounded like needles walking on a stone floor – if that was even possible. It was nerve wrecking. And for anyone who knew it was a Griever, and what they could do to you if you so much as pricked them, it would send them running as fast as they could.

Thomas had found a protruding bit of rock at the base of the wall, and was hurriedly looping the vine around it to tie it off. Minho looked in the direction of the sound, and saw a metallic looking thing, like a spider's leg, stepping out onto their corridor.

Percy saw it too, but before he could register what it was, Minho had bolted in the opposite direction with fear etched upon his face.

"I'm sorry," were his last words.

Percy was torn between running after Minho and staying with Thomas to tie off the knot. Instinct told him that Thomas would not have enough time to tie the knot and run away. Intuition told Percy that there were probably more of these spidery- Grievers around the maze, and Minho would surely bump into one very soon.

Of the two, he knew Thomas better, of course. He'd never actually talked to Minho until today. All he knew was that Minho was the leader of the Runners. He was more valuable, and if the Gladers wanted any chance of leaving this maze, it was Minho.

He could almost feel his fatal flaw laughing at him.

And suddenly, Leo's face swam into his mind. Leo was still stuck in the glade with the others. Leo was his closest friend here. Leo was his brother. And the only way they could get out was to solve this maze. And the only way to solve this maze was with…

Minho.

Percy scolded himself for thinking in this manner. He cursed himself for abandoning Thomas, but Minho's need was stronger. He blamed the fates for making him choose.

It took every bit of his strength for him to choke the words out.

"Thomas. I'll come back and find you. I promise."

Then he sprinted in the direction that Minho went. Minho had already disappeared by the time Percy had made up his mind. But he ran all the way to the end of the corridor just in time to see the blur of a moving figure slip away in the right turn.

Percy pursued the boy, running as fast as he could. The training he had in Camp Half-Blood helped him greatly. But Percy had to admit that Minho was fast too. Very fast.

Minho had disappeared once again. Percy had lost sight on him.

Percy slowed down to a jog, looking into the forks of a crossroad. Where could Minho have gone?

He got his answer in a manner which he did not expect. Percy heard a yell, somewhere between a shout and a cry of surprise.

It had to belong to Minho. Percy just knew it. Something must have happened to him.

"Minho!" Percy shouted.

His voice echoed in the empty maze, resounding on the metallic walls.

"Percy! Run! Run!" Minho yelled back.

Percy could hear the fast thudding of Minho's footsteps coming from the left fork, and a fainter tingling sound behind. Minho was being chased by a Griever.

"Run! It's a Griever! Run!" Minho repeated.

Percy did as he was told. But instead of running away, he ran towards the Griever. Minho dashed past him in a blur, and finally, Percy could see the actual size and appearance of a Griever.

"Have a death wish, Percy?" Minho yelled again.

From the ground where Percy stood, the Griever looked huge. Sinister looking needle-like fur coated every inch its metallic limbs. The whirling and clinking sound made by the Griever was much louder now, seeing that it was just about 8 meters in front of him.

Percy felt a bead of sweat roll down his forehead.

If he could choose between fighting this Griever and Arachne, he'd take Arachne anytime. That Greek monster could even be considered friendly when compared to this. Heck, he'd even have fought a Polybotes again.

Percy felt an insistent tugging on his left arm, and realized that Minho had stopped running away from the Griever. Now, the guy was actually trying to pull him out of the way of the Griever.

But now that Percy had got himself involved in all this _maze business_, he needed to do something that the other Gladers had not done before. It seemed like no one had ever tried to kill a Griever. If Minho, a Runner, had be afraid of the Griever, how could any other the other boys managed to get up close to one and lived to tell the tale?

He needed to kill the Griever, then lug its body back into the Glade to observe it.

Another Griever leapt out from the bend behind the first Griever.

_Great_, Percy thought. _Just great. It had to bring a friend. Of course that had to happen._

The Grievers started to advance in on them. They looked as though they were taking their time, knowing that there was no way to outrun them.

Percy turned to Minho, who had his eyes transfixed on the two Grievers approaching.

"Run. You go first, I'll hold them back."

But Percy was wrong if he thought Minho was going to agree to that.

"No. We're already dead anyway, aren't we? May as well stick together."

**I hope you are all energized by that bit of excitement. Please do me a favor by just reading my LOTR fic. It's my first attempt so...**

**Oh, and a BIG THANK YOU to all my story followers! We've crossed the 200 follower mark!**

**And another BIG THANK YOU to those who are taking the trouble to go over to my LOTR fic!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you all reviewers who gave me those encouraging reviews :)**

**Bad news: I just got busy again. Just as I was warming up to writing regularly again, and starting to spring new ideas, school just had to come in the way AGAIN.**

**Good news: Update has arrived!**

Percy

Percy had hoped that Minho would run. He wished that Minho wasn't standing right beside him. Because if he was…how the Hades was he going to be able to explain later?

How could he explain about being able to _kill_ a Griever, much less _two_ of them, when he'd just been in this Glade for no more than two days?

How was he going to explain that he owned a pen that could suddenly turn into a full length, celestial bronze sword by uncapping it?

It would earn him all the suspicion he needed. And if Minho told the other Gladers about his…abnormality, they might just banish him into the maze.

Percy was clueless, but he couldn't think it would be possible to _not_ fight the Grievers. That would be certain death for sure.

Minho was looking from him to the nearest Griever, debating on what he should do.

Percy gave the boy a half guilty, half _I'll-explain-later_ look and sprinted at Griever Number One.

As he got nearer, Percy felt thankful that the maze was narrow enough to fit only one Griever. At least that meant that he would only need to fight one of them at a time.

Three meters away from the Griever, Percy drew his ballpoint pen from his pocket, and uncapped it. The bronze blade cast a dull yellow glow in the dark, which caught the attention of the Griever.

The metallic spider clicked its legs against the stone floor and it bended its legs, as though waiting to pounce at the opportunity.

And just seconds before Percy collided with the prickly front legs of the Griever, he threw himself on his back. The momentum allowed him to slide under the Griever.

The Griever looked confused, having its supper suddenly disappear from his line of sight. And as dawning realizing hit it, its tiny, mechanical brain knew that it was too late to save himself.

In a rush of adrenaline, Percy grasped the handle of his sword and stuck it upwards, straight into a chink between two metal plates of the underbelly, where a gooey, slimy substance which was its flesh peeked out.

He heard a disgusting _squelch_ sound, and the Griever suddenly went limp. Its body shriveled up a little and its legs went out beneath it.

This was bad. It meant that the only thing holding up the heavy, spiky creature was Percy's sword.

And gods, this Griever was sure heavy.

To make matters worse, there were a few needles protruding from its underbelly too. So if Percy's arm gave way, he'll be a personal pincushion for the Griever.

"Don't let go! The needles are poisoned! If they so much as touch you, you'll be like klunk!" Minho's voice drifted from some distance away.

_Klunk_? What in Gaia was Klunk?

Whatever, klunk didn't sound good. Percy made a one second decision that he didn't want to end up like klunk.

So…yep, another thing to add to his things-to-worry-about list.

The Griever was weighting down hard on him. Supporting it using only a thin strip of metal was no easy feat. Let's just say that if Percy was given a choice to choose between this and lifting up the world like he'd done 3 years back, he'd have taken the world.

As his arms trembled slightly from the strain, another pair of hands clasped over his, sharing the weight between his.

Minho had slid under the Griever and was helping him to bear the weight.

The combined strength of the both of them was able to tilt the griever to its side, and with a tremendous heave, they managed to shove the dead Griever over on its back.

Percy got slowly to his feet, and beside him Minho did the same. Both of them were breathing hard.

"Thanks."

"No problem. But it's not over yet." Minho replied, jerking his head in the direction of the second Griever.

"One at a time, right?" Percy grinned.

Minho merely raised his eyebrows. "And you've got a _lot_ of explaining to do after this, Greenie."

Percy spared a glance at the second Griever, which was now creeping towards them, with purpose in its stride.

"And they'll probably banish me after hearing my story." Percy murmured, mostly to himself.

But it did not escape Minho's ears.

"Glad you know your situation, Greenie. This may not be the last Griever you see after all."

"Oh, that's nice."

Percy raised his sword. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Minho brace himself.

And at the same time, a loud scraping sound was heard. It was a familiar sound. The ground vibrated a little, shaking like a mini earthquake.

Then a section of the wall, just between the Griever and Percy, started closing. In the same manner that the maze doors closed earlier, the walls started to shut. The Griever was now distracted, and it backtracked from the closing section.

"The maze is changing. This isn't supposed to happen!" Minho said in confusion.

Percy pulled Minho back down the corridor they came from. Then, he capped Riptide. If the maze was changing unexpectedly, it was best that they started to find the way back.

"What do you mean? You said you've never been stuck out here before!" Percy said, as they started jogging back to where they started.

"I've never been stuck out here at night before. But I've studied the patterns in the maze. Only the parts leading to different sections should've change. The center of the maze that we were on _always_ stays the same."

Minho sounded as though he was just stating facts. But perhaps, the boy was waiting to see a reaction from Percy, because he didn't say more.

"Wait…you think _I_ did this?" Percy said tentatively.

"I didn't say that, but you could have done. Ever since you and the other boy Leo showed up, things haven't been going on normally. And you two don't act like other lost Glader who ended up here."

"Look. I couldn't have possibly changed the maze. This is absurd. I don't have the slightest clue how this maze works. I'm telling you, Minho. I didn't do it!"

Minho stared at him for a moment, then he nodded.

"Fine. I'll believe you on that part. But you've still got to explain about the sword, and how you killed the Griever, which for your information has never been done before. Then, you've got to explain on why you ran into the maze."

"I had to do _something_. I couldn't stand there and let you and Thomas get stung along with Alby!" Percy said desperately.

"Ahh. But what made you think that _you_ could save them? Everyone else had died."

Percy was at a loss for words.

Minho continued, "I mean I'm thankful that you saved me out there. But the others back in the Glade? I know for one that Gally won't take it so kindly. For the safety of all the other Gladers, he'll order that you be banished. Possibly along with the other Greenie."

They reached the place where they'd started. High above them, hanging on a bunch of vines was an unconscious and limp Alby. Percy wasn't surprised that the vines had been knotted off at the protruding stone on the ground. It seemed like Thomas had managed to secure the vines and had time to run away before the Griever got to him.

A pang of guilt shot up his stomach. He'd left Thomas here in search of Minho. He'd chosen Leo over his first new friend in this strange Glade.

Minho observed the vines. The green plants crept on every wall in the maze, and if he looked closely, he could see little holes puncturing some of the leaves. It was their clue. The very first Griever they bumped into went this way.

"C'mon. The Griever tracks might lead us to Thomas." Minho said.

Percy nodded. "Then we'd better be quick. Thomas could have been chased by it."

They ran at full speed now, with the purpose of finding Thomas in their minds. Occasionally, they would stop to check that they were going down the right path, before continuing the run.

All of a sudden, the wall in front of them started closing, forming a dead end. Both boys stumbled just in time to avoid slamming into the metallic wall.

"What?" Minho said in disbelief. "This isn't supposed to happen either!"

Then what used to be a solid wall on their left opened up, forming another straight passage. It was as though the maze was alive, wanting to show them something.

And suddenly, everything fell into place.

Of course. Why hadn't he thought of this before?

Who else could be doing this?

Someone was helping them, leading them to Thomas.

Someone who could speak to mechanical parts of the maze.

And the same person who'd saved them from fighting the second Griever earlier.

Leo.

Percy just knew it was Leo. From within the safety of the Glade, Leo had managed to control the maze, and was helping them.

Since Percy couldn't explain this to Minho, all he could say was, "this way! Thomas should be close now!"

This time, Percy went first, heading down the newly opened passage. As they approached the end of the corridor, a section on the right opened up, and Percy did not hesitate to continue down that path.

Then, they saw it.

In the middle of the long passage stood Thomas, and behind Thomas was a Griever.

This could be bad. After Percy had actually come face to face with a Griever, he did not doubt that Grievers are fast. Their strong and long mechanical legs worked like a well-oiled machine. If Thomas wanted any chance to survive, he'd have to run. Right now.

Percy was about to run to Thomas, and hopefully kill the Griever before anything disastrous happened, when another loud grinding sound was heard. Then the walls between Thomas and himself began to narrow.

Whatever Leo was trying to do, Percy thought, was risky. Thomas was still a fair distance away from him, and if he didn't make it in time, he'd be stuck in a dead end with a deadly spider.

"Thomas! Run!" Minho yelled.

"Run! The walls are closing!" Percy shouted.

Thomas ignored them, keeping his eyes fixed on the huge Griever, and holding his ground.

The Griever was now speeding up its pace, closing the ground between itself and its victim.

Only when the Griever was no more than three meters away did Thomas turn and run towards them. And when Thomas turned, Percy was sure he saw sparkling determination in his eyes.

"Run! Don't look back!" Minho shouted again.

**Good? Bad? Please review!**

**On a side note, Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer has been out for some time now, but I've got no time to read it :( I wish I could read it though, it sounds really good!**

**Also, a MEGA HUGE THANK YOU to those who actually went over to my LOTR oneshot and reviewed and faved it :D Cookies for ya! (::)(::)(::)**


	7. Chapter 7

**I'd seriously considered putting this on permanent hiatus due to the lack of time. But I guess that's not going to happen anytime soon :) But I'm sorry for the extremely slow updates.**

**Anyway, enjoy :)**

Thomas

His palms were sweaty, and Thomas could feel a slight tremor in his arms. The Griever was _so_ close. The whirling sound of the Grievers were much clearer now.

Despite the growing fear in the pit of his stomach, Thomas tried his best to not to run, and instead loop the vine which held Alby up, around a small, protruding bit of rock on the ground. He could feel his heart pounding against his ribcage as he willed his hands steady, so that the vine would be wrapped tightly enough.

Then Minho had run. That one guy who knew every passage in this endless maze had dashed off, hoping to put as much distance as possible from that approaching Griever. With Minho gone, Thomas and Percy had no idea where each corridor and split road led. This meant that they could end up terribly lost in the maze, even if they somehow managed to stay alive till morning.

Thomas cursed his fumbling fingers as the vines kept slipping in his hands, which proved a difficult task to tie. Casting a quick look out of the corner of his eyes, Thomas saw the spiky leg of a metallic Griever just walking out of a bend in the distance.

It was close. Too close. He didn't have enough time.

The second Minho had sprinted off, Percy whipped his head around to see where that Runner had gone. For that one moment, Thomas almost thought that Percy would follow Minho, leaving him stranded here with an unconscious Alby who was high above the ground.

Percy legs made a jerking motion, as though his muscles were tensed to go after Minho, but then later restrained himself. The Greenie looked between the spot that Minho had disappeared, to where Thomas was hastily trying to tie the knot.

Thomas' fingers slipped again, and the knot came free once more. His time was running out.

That's when Percy left him too.

All he said was ""Thomas. I'll come back and find you. I promise.", then he too, went off running in the direction where Minho had gone.

With adrenaline pumping in his veins, Thomas didn't really bother processing what Percy had said. He was more concerned about finishing up the knot and leaving immediately. It was lucky for him too, otherwise he would have felt that stabbing hurt in his chest, and his heart would probably have cried 'betrayal!' at Percy.

Somehow, in that two days which Percy had appeared in the Glade, Thomas had made friends with that shank. It wasn't that hard, seeing that Percy had this sort of likable personality about him. Thomas supposed that it was better that Percy went off with Minho. At least that would be safer for them. He couldn't possibly ask them to stay. That would have been plain selfish.

Nevertheless, Thomas kept his mind focused on the task at hand. After countless attempts, the knot restraining Alby was finally secured.

By now, the Griever was close enough for Thomas to make out each needle-like spikes covering its metallic legs and hide. It was dangerous, intimidating, and way too close for comfort.

Instinctively, his muscles acted on their own, tensing up in a split second before doing a pin-point turn and pushing off in the direction that would get him as far away as possible from the Griever.

The events that happened later passed like a blur. Thomas couldn't remember how long he'd spent running away from that Griever. Once, he thought he'd managed to lose the Griever in a bend, but the next moment, another Griever lurched out from the side, and started perusing him.

He must have been running for more than two hours, looking over his shoulder and making a turn at each fork to hopefully shake the Grievers off his trail.

On the bright side, this method seemed to work. Well, he was still alive after all, wasn't he?

On the not-so-bright side, however, Thomas had no idea where he was. His mind was so concerned on getting away, that he hadn't bothered to trace his steps.

Suddenly, another Griever jumped out of the corner roughly ten meters away from him. It was unexpected, and Thomas turned on his heels, only to find the dull grey wall surrounding him on three sides, forming a dead end.

Whatever little hope Thomas had of making it through the night burst like a bubble. His heart sank. He was trapped. He was lost.

A miracle. That was what happened. There was no other explanation.

By sheer coincidence, the wall just beside him rumbled, the heavy section of wall slid to one side, forming an open passageway that led down, down, down all the way to…two dark silhouettes of people.

Percy and Minho.

The slightly taller of the two – Percy, he suspected, beckoned for Thomas to run in his direction. Minho stood to the side, his eyes fixed on the Griever to Thomas' other side.

By instinct, Thomas, swung his gaze back to his main threat, and was surprised to find that the Griever had not yet moved. Its hind legs were bended, ready to pounce, but it was clicking its spinsters as though it were thinking. Or calculating.

Thomas whipped his head to look at Percy and Minho who were still calling him from the other end.

And then, the walls started closing again. Slower this time, but it was closing nonetheless, bit by bit narrowing his own hope of escape.

The Griever started charging at him, just as Thomas thought up a brilliant idea. It was all about the precision. This was his chance. Their chance – for all the Gladers – to get a shot at having a dead Griever to investigate.

Thomas tried to control his fear. He forced his legs to stay put, although he knew it was going to betray him sooner or later.

Minho and Percy were screaming at him to run. Their voices mingled together as one, rebounding and reverberating in the metallic walls such that Thomas could no longer tell who's voice was who's.

Just a little longer. The Griever was much closer now. _Seven meters…Six meters…._

Thomas turned and started a slow jog to Minho and Percy.

_Five meters…Four meters…_

When he could not restrain his legs any longer, Thomas bolted. Adrenaline bursting through his veins, and his vision tunneling as he focused solely on his two friends just outside the closing doors.

_Three meters…_

Thomas widened his strides, and increased his pace. He had to make it. Percy was reaching his hand into the maze, as if he thought that would do much difference.

_Two meters…_

The metallic walls were pressing in on him, threatening to crush Thomas if he didn't make it.

_One meter…_

It wasn't about the Griever anymore. It was about getting out of this increasingly confined space which was slowly restricting his movements.

And then…the next moment, he was out. He was free again, as free as he could get in the maze, anyway. Thomas bent over, sucking in the sweet and glorious air into his lungs, replenishing his oxygen-deprived limbs. He felt thumps on his back from Minho and Percy.

"You made it!" Percy said, relieved.

"Not only did he make it, he actually trapped a griever in the maze." Minho said, pointing to the section of the wall which had just clamped shut.

Thomas squinted in the dark to look at what Minho was pointing to, and saw a crushed Griever half sticking out of the wall.

It was dead, or perhaps short-circuited. Greenish goo dribbled out from its flattened torso, and a couple of its legs were sticking out at odd angles. Wires, and small metallic fragments were broken and hanging limp.

"We've never seen a dead Griever before." Minho said. "No one has ever managed to survive a night in the maze, much less kill a Griever. This is something, Thomas."

Thomas still looked too shocked from his earlier ordeal, but he managed to say, "We should check out the corpse in the morning. It may tell us something about getting out of the maze."

Minho nodded. "Yeah. I know how to navigate to this part of the maze. But for now, we should start getting back to the Glade doors. It should be morning in a few minutes."

* * *

><p>True enough as Minho had predicted, by the time the three of them had picked up Alby and reached the entrance to the Glade, the doors had already opened and there, standing in a bunch, was all the other Gladers. As soon as the Gladers saw them hoisting up an injured Alby, their faces broke into a relieved expression, and a few of them even ran into the maze and helped to lug Alby along.<p>

Thomas searched the faces of the Gladers. He wasn't all that close to many of them, but he could see that most of them looked pleased and glad that they made it back. All of them, except…

…Gally. Gally stood at the front of the crowd of Gladers. A look of annoyance, and even anger was written upon his face.

Thomas couldn't understand how Gally could possibly be mad at him. Was it because he broke the rules of the Glade, and ran into the maze after Percy to save Alby and Minho? But Alby had been brought back alive. Even Newt didn't seem frustrated at Thomas's and Percy's actions.

Suddenly, Thomas didn't feel very brave anymore. He knew what the consequences for breaking the rules in the Glade was. So did Percy. What had Newt warned him about the punishment?

No, not punishment. Newt had said that it was to ensure the safety of the Gladers. It was more of a safety precaution.

And that precaution was … banishment from the Glade. Just as what had happened to Ben. He would be forced to return to the maze at night, not to ever return, until one day when his luck finally ran dry and the Grievers manage to get their spinsters on him.

Maybe if Alby was conscious, that guy could have a say in Thomas's fate. However, Alby was completely knocked out from the previous days' events. Thomas didn't know how much power Minho might have if he put in his two cents.

Gally, who had seemingly read Thomas's fears, announced, "Everyone, we are having a meeting shortly. Thomas and our new Greenie, Percy, had broken the rules and gone into the maze. We need to discuss the consequences of their actions."

Nevertheless, Thomas knew that there was nothing he could do as of now. He'd just have to wait and see how things played out.

**Please leave a review!**

**And expect the next chapter to come in around a week or two! Also, in the meantime, checking out my other stories would be great! I've seem to taken a liking to writing oneshots :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Oooh! And update! What a surprise!**

**Enjoy :)**

Leo

Wires. Gears. Machines. The pleasant humming of the motors. The continuous singing from the endless walls in the maze. It was music to his ears. The son of Hephaestus felt comforted knowing that he was surrounded by things that could understand.

Of course, when he had just arrived in the maze a couple of days ago, Leo could sense the presence of these technologies, although he wasn't exactly sure what they were used for, or if he had the same influence over the machines as he had back from where he came from. But now, he did not doubt his ability to have quite a fair bit of power over the mechanics.

Why? Because he'd just done it.

When Percy and Minho had this mad surge into the maze just the day before, Leo was so tempted to go in too. His mind was itching to check out the mysteries and wonders of the huge maze. Leo had even surprised himself to find that he could actually resist the overwhelming impulse to just dash off after Thomas.

So what if he'd just ran along into the maze after his friends? Percy was in there too. And Leo recognised that if it were a matter of protecting Alby, Minho and Thomas, Percy would be up to that job. He'd seen his friend fight countless monsters over that few months since he had met the son of Poseidon. So a couple of Grievers – whatever they were, anyway – should be not too much of a problem.

That meant that even if Leo had tagged along, he couldn't have made that much of a difference.

And so, he had stayed. Leo had thought that if he stayed behind, he could at least test out if he had some connection with the maze. After all, it was much safer to try shifting elements in the maze while he was in the safety of the Glade, rather than having to keep looking over his shoulder if he were in the maze.

Leo took a late night stroll around the maze. Most of the other Gladers had already gone back to the hut where all the beds were, leaving Leo to his thoughts.

At first, he tried, starting small. A little tug at a small gear, imagining it rotating slowly in his mind's eye. It didn't take long to practice, as he seemed to form this sudden connection with the mechanical parts of the maze. He found that he could communicate with the electronics easily. This made him feel reassured once again.

Overcome by the excitement and elated by the fact that the machines actually understood his thoughts. Leo started to experiment deeper, testing out the limits of his control over the different areas of the maze. Not long later, Leo soon found out that if he 'connected' deeply enough with the maze, he could actually feel the presence of different entities within the maze. The maze was just an extension of himself.

The Grievers? He felt it.

Leo now could roughly visualize them. Those spindly-legged creatures, scuttling around the maze, hopefully searching for an unlucky prey.

And only after about an hour of sitting and getting entranced by the vastness of the maze, Leo felt something different. Not to mention that he very nearly lost the connection with the maze in all that sudden excitement.

He sensed thumps. They were uniform movements. Running in quite a straight line on the metallic ground of the maze. He could feel it every time the creature's feet came in contact with the ground.

Immediately, he knew what those thumps were.

It was his friends.

And he could actually visualize where they were, and whether they were running or just slowing down to a slow walk.

Leo leapt up with a sudden surge of adrenaline. If he knew where they were, he could help them!

That was exactly what he did. Leo shifted the walls in the maze, such that his friends would not run into the path of a Griever.

Many hours later, in the wee hours of the morning, Leo found himself urging the maze to lead Percy, Thomas, Minho, and Alby back to the doors of the Glade. Only then did he allow himself to release his control over the maze, and felt the effects of wariness and overexertion take over.

- Line Break -

"That's what you said though, Gally?" Minho had his hands on his hips and was gazing firmly back at Gally. "Rules in the Glade must not be broken. And since Thomas broke the rule when he is not a Runner, I'd say we _make_ him a Runner."

At the side, Thomas looked shocked at first, but then again, it seemed like he was trying to hide the smile that was stretching on his face.

Leo glanced at the two boys who were giving each other a staring match. Minho's eyes held determination, whereas Gally's was fully of anger and hatred. It was clear he didn't sit well with the suggestion.

However, Gally was stuck. He could see it from Minho's point of view, yet he was very grudging to allow it. By saying he agreed, who's to tell that the other Gladers won't break the rules either? The rules was everything that is keeping everyone in order.

"Fine. If you want to make him a Runner, that's not my business. Now, what about Percy? He hasn't even been in the Glade for more than three days?" Gally stuck out his finger and pointed it accusingly at Percy.

This time, even Minho glanced hesitantly at Percy.

Leo frowned, he was sure that Percy was one of the main reasons why Minho, Thomas and Alby even made it out of the maze alive. Yet the look that Minho was giving Percy made Leo wonder if Minho might be hiding a certain amount of distrust.

Leo couldn't think of any reason why Minho might be wary of Percy. Of course, that wasn't saying much. It was not as if Leo had been in there with them in the maze. This left only one question. – had something happened in the maze that night that could have caused this?

Minho's hesitation gave Gally an advantage to prove his point.

"Even you can see that, can't you, Minho? You know that there is something very fishy with that shank." Gally said.

Leo definitely didn't miss the small shift in Percy's posture across the room, and the fact that Percy no longer looked at the arguing pair.

Another silence. Minho took a steadying breath and opened his mouth, probably wanting to say something in defense.

Obviously, Gally wasn't going to give him the pleasure now that he had the upper hand. He pressed on.

"Trust between Gladers is all that holds us together. If there is doubt, one has to be banished." Gally stated, talking a step closer to Minho, "There was something you saw about Percy in the maze, and it gave you second thoughts."

"I – " Minho started to say.

Gally was hearing none of it. He wasn't finished. "I think it's safe to say that all of us here have known you for very long, Minho. Myself included. You are also the leader of the Runners. We trust you. All you have to tell us is that you have a reason to mistrust Percy, and we'll believe you. You don't even have to put up with Percy anymore. We'll deal with it."

Percy was staring resolutely at a pile of dead leaves on the ground, as still as a rock.

Newt was looking directly at Minho, as if trying to read his thoughts.

The other Gladers were waiting for the verdict.

For a split second, Leo saw that Minho's eyes shifted from Gally's face to where Percy was sitting, then back again to Gally.

"No." Minho said. "I saw nothing in the maze that made me trust Percy any less than I did before. He helped us plenty in the maze."

Gally huffed, and pure anger shone in his eyes again.

But Newt had heard what he needed. "Well, now that we've cleared this up, I think we'll give this some thought, and by the end of the week, Percy will have been assigned his new job. Dismissed."

"Wait." Gally held out both his hands to stop anyone from filing out of the hut. "Nevertheless, Thomas and Percy still broke the rules and left the Glade. There still need to be a punishment."

Newt shrugged. "I agree about that. And a punishment is in order. So there'll be no dinner for the two of them, and it's the slammer for them tonight. Now, dismissed."

As Gally stormed out of the hut, Leo caught the smirk on Newt's face as the guy nodded at Minho.

The rest of the Gladers had mostly left the hut, and were heading back to their respective jobs for the afternoon, leaving only Minho, Newt, Percy and Leo. Minho turned and started to walk away.

But before he could step out of the hut along with the other Gladers, Percy had slipped off his seat, took two large strides across the room, and restrained Minho with a hand to his shoulder.

"Minho, wait." Percy said.

Percy glanced at Newt and Leo who were still in earshot, but apparently, he decided it was okay for them to listen it.

"I know why you hesitated. And it was because of what I did to that Griever in the maze, wasn't it?"

Minho stopped walking to turn around. He too glanced at Newt and Leo.

"Look, I didn't say I didn't trust you, okay? I was just so confused when you fought that Griever. No one should have been able to do that. You just leapt straight on and engaged the Griever in a fight. And the sword… and –"

"I know." Percy said quickly. "I didn't expect you to be able to see it, but –"

"Woah, woah, wait. You mean it was real? All of it? How could you even have a sword? That's impossible."

Percy took out his pen from his pocket. The one that Leo could recognize anywhere. Leo took it as a cue to close the door to the hut. Even Newt moved closer to take a look.

"See? This is not just a pen. Look."

Percy uncapped Riptide, and a Celestial Bronze weapon replaced the pen. The glowing blade, three foot long, cast a dull reflection on their faces.

Minho jumped back. So did Newt. And now, both their eyes were flickering from Percy to the sword.

"What the _klunk_?!" Was the first thing Minho said when he found his voice.

Percy swallowed, then touched the pen cap to the edge of the sword, and immediately, the sword had shrunk back into pen form.

"I know." Percy repeated. "I haven't been too honest with you guys earlier, but I think now is the right time for me to tell you."

Another silence, as Minho and Newt waited to hear the revelation.

"I admit I'm not like you. Well, me and Leo, actually. We're not exactly human." Percy started off slowly, wondering how he should let the truth out without scaring them too much.

It wasn't working, because Minho and Newt looked like they wanted to scream for help.

So Leo supplied, "what he means is that we're demigods. Half human…half god."

**Ha. Here goes. Secret's out.**

**Hope you enjoyed it :) And don't forget to leave a review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Okay, here it is! I just wanted to say: Thank you guys for each and every one of your reviews! It really supports me when I write :)**

**Enjoy!**

Percy

Damn it. How in Hades did Minho see Riptide? Minho and Thomas were both mortals, for goodness sake. When Percy had fought the Grievers, he'd pulled out Riptide. But he'd hoped that all Minho saw was something like a bat, or even a stick. Certainly not a sword. If Minho had seen it, does that mean that Thomas had recognized Riptide's true form too?

It didn't matter much right now. Whether or not Percy liked it, the fact remained that Minho had seen his sword appear from thin air, and was now having doubt about him.

And if Minho was started to feel like he'd put trust in the wrong person, it was highly likely that the guy would tell someone. The person on the top of the list – Newt. They were main leaders in the Glade. So in that split second, as Minho got ready to leave the hut, Percy made up his mind.

The secret could not be kept any longer. If his loyalty was questioned amongst the Gladers, they would no longer trust his actions. In order for these people to find a way out of the Glade, they needed a person who dares to lead them out. They needed a leader whom they can rely on. Someone that they can put their confidence in.

Percy had to break the news to them eventually. He couldn't tell everyone together, not knowing how they'd take it – it might turn them all against him, then he and Leo would be in some serious trouble. So perhaps he could start of by telling Minho and Newt.

He was going to come clean.

* * *

><p>"It means that we're demigods. Half human…half <em>god<em>." Leo supplied.

Both Minho and Newt looked like they were at a loss for words. Their brains seemed to be humming, considering, judging if what Leo said could possibly be true.

Newt seemed to come back to his senses first, and said, "You're joking, aren't you?"

Percy shook his head seriously and backed up what Leo had just said. "We're not. It's true. We're demigods."

Then Minho said in disbelief, "Are you asking to be banished? You know if Gally ever heard that, he'd jump onto the opportunity to get you thrown out for sure."

Percy raised both his arms in a placating gesture.

"I need to tell you both this because I believe you won't tell Gally. And the other reason is because I need you to know that you can trust me." Percy said.

Minho opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but closed it again.

"We're demigods. We come from another time, more of like a future, or you could even call it an alternate universe. We were sent here by the Greek gods to help you guys get out of this Glade." Percy added.

"Woah, hang on there." Newt said. "There's no way out. We've been here for years. The Runners have gone in there every single day for the past years and there have never been a way out. And besides, I'm not sure most of us Gladers even want to leave the maze. There're Grievers out there, ready to kill us. It's much safer in here."

"But you've never had us here before to help you. Only last night, Percy killed a couple of Grievers. That's a lead." Leo countered. "Maybe we're close."

Newt looked to Minho for confirmation.

"Yeah, Percy killed one Griever with his sword. And he squashed another one in between the closing walls." Minho said.

"All right," Newt agreed. "I'll admit that a Griever has never been killed before but you expect us, and all the Gladers to just follow you blindly out of the maze?"

Percy and Leo glanced at each other.

"Sort of." Percy said, "I was hoping that since you guys are the main leaders that the Gladers look up to, you could help us convince them…"

Newt locked his eyes with Percy and said in a challenging tone, "What makes you think that we – Minho and I – trust you in the first place?"

Percy kept the connection between them, forcing to gaze steadily back, and pouring confidence into his words. "I've told you everything about me, and where I come from. There's nothing else that I'm hiding anymore."

Newt didn't reply, so Percy continued, "How about this? Until I give you any reason to doubt my loyalty, you are going to trust me."

"Okay." Newt said. "But you break that trust, or for some reason, we seem to think that you are one of those Creators messing with us, that's the end. When that happens, the safety of this Glade will no longer be shared with you. Understood?"

Percy nodded. "Deal."

Newt's gaze softened as he smiled and raised his eyebrows. "So…demigods, huh?"

"Yeah." Percy said, returning the smile. "Leo's a son of Hephaestus, the god of forges, technology, those mechanical stuff. He was the one behind the scenes when we were in the maze."

"Or…" Leo said excitedly, "you could just call me Flamin' Hot Boy on Fire!"

Minho laughed, "and you?" he said to Percy.

"Son of Poseidon, god of the seas."

"So," Leo added in an undertone, "if you smell anything fishy going on, you know who to put the blame on."

Newt chuckled, something which Percy had never seen before, and said, "Alright, let's break this meeting up before other Gladers feel that there's something amiss."

Minho nodded, "Yeah, and I'll pass on what we discussed to Thomas too, since he is officially a Runner now."

"Cool." Leo said.

* * *

><p>It was late afternoon, almost dinner, and Percy and Newt was with the other Track-Hoes, ploughing up the dirt and scattering fertilizer to the soil. They were almost done for the day, and most of the other Track-Hoes were sitting under a large, shady tree, taking a break.<p>

This was pretty convenient, because that meant that Percy and Newt were given some privacy, as most other Gladers were out of earshot. Some of them had even dozed off.

"You reckon those Creators know that you and Leo are here?" Newt asked, stopping his work to look up at Percy.

Percy thought about that for a moment. He assumed those Creators are the ones responsible for sending the Gladers into this maze.

"I'd say it's very possible that they've known by now, and that's why we've got to find a way out as soon as possible."

Newt made a slight jerk of his head in acknowledgement, before pointing to a spot behind Percy with his chin.

"Tommy's coming. And Minho. And Leo." He said.

Percy turned around, and sure enough, his friends were walking towards them. From this distance, Percy could see the slight frown in Thomas's features, and he was sure that Minho or Leo had filled him in by now.

Leaning the rake against a support, Percy dusted his hands and waited for them to arrive.

"So," Thomas started, "what's your plan to get us Gladers out of here?"

Not really sure of his proposed plan, Percy scratched the back of his neck, thinking.

"I think we should go back into the maze, find that Griever that we squashed between the walls last night, and then maybe we could discover something new. It's the only lead we have. At least it's something." Percy said.

It wasn't much, but it was an idea nonetheless, and no one could suggest anything better, Percy was determined to start there. Deep down, he hoped – fingers crossed and all – that they could find something of substance. Something that could give them _some_ sign as to how to get out of this maze.

Fortunately, Thomas thought so too. "That's kind of what I was thinking too. Something along those lines. We should go in there again…and soon, just in case the Griever has been removed."

"You're right. That could be our one chance." Minho agreed.

Leo's eyes glinted as he grinned and punched his fist into the air, "Let's do this!"

But Newt was the main leader here, and he had the final say.

"Woah, calm down. You're all forgetting something." He said. "Both Thomas and Percy have some lock down time tonight as a consequence of their earlier actions. And Leo," he added, pointing at the guy, "you are still considered a Greenie in here. So we can't just let you into the maze. Gally won't allow it."

Percy was about to protest about how he and Thomas was only going to be in 'jail' for the night, and would be let out in the morning, but wasn't given the chance as Newt continued in a raised voice.

"BUT," Newt said, holding up a hand for silence, "I think I can convince Gally to agree that Minho, Thomas, Percy and I should go into the maze tomorrow morning. How does that sound."

Leo sighed but said, "That sucks, but that's the best we could go for."

A soft ringing sound of a bell wafted in from the kitchens. Frypan was signaling that dinner was ready.

"That's our dinner." Minho said.

Although Percy tried his best not to show it, he was wondrously amazed, and surprised how the other Track-Hoes, who had been sleeping ever so soundly just a few seconds ago, could hear that little bell and wake up. All around the Glade, the Gladers were strolling – some running – towards Frypan, who was already serving a short queue.

Chuck came running towards them out of nowhere.

"Sorry, Gally wanted me to tell you guys that Percy and Thomas have a date in the Slammer tonight." Chuck said apologetically, "and no dinner."

"Damn." Percy said, as his stomach gave a loud growl. "I'm already feeling hungry."

"So am I." Thomas sighed, a faraway look in his eyes as he stared longingly at Frypan ladling bowls of soup for the Gladers. "It's gonna be a long night."

Newt passed in front of them, diverting their gazes at the mouthwatering scent of food. "C'mon, I'll take you there. Promise it'll all be over in no time."

The two boys tore their hungry eyes away from the food and followed a few steps behind Newt, with Percy dragging his feet.

Newt swung open the bars and waited for Percy to hop in, before closing and locking it. Then, he walked a few paces away to another 'cell' where Thomas did the same.

Then he said in an amused tone to the two of them. "I'm quite sure your friend Leo will pop by the Slammer after he attempts to sneak some extra food for the two of you, so I'm just going to pretend I didn't see anything, okay?"

Percy smiled, and settled in the most comfortable position he could find.

"Thanks, Newt."

**Aww. I would really love to do some Percy and Newt bromance. Maybe in the future. Maybe not. I'll think things through first :)**

**See ya in the next update :)**


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